Jenna MontgomeryNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Stories and features from the KUOW newsroom.NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94TransportationSat, 10 Dec 2016 05:13:03 +0000Transportationhttp://kuow.org
Kim Malcolm Kim Malcolm talks with Seattle Department of Transportation spokesperson Sue Romero about how Seattle is preparing for snow . Between one and three inches is expected to fall in the Seattle area on Thursday night.Snow!? Here's how Seattle prepareshttp://kuow.org/post/snow-heres-how-seattle-prepares
93932 as http://kuow.orgFri, 09 Dec 2016 00:33:38 +0000Snow!? Here's how Seattle preparesPaige BrowningUber drivers packed themselves into a public hearing hosted by the City of Seattle Tuesday. The topic: an ordinance that lets drivers vote on whether to unionize. The debate now is over which drivers will get to vote on whether to form a union. The city's proposal would give most drivers a vote , except those that only give a few rides a week.Uber and Teamsters find common ground on one part of bargaining processhttp://kuow.org/post/uber-and-teamsters-find-common-ground-one-part-bargaining-process
93819 as http://kuow.orgWed, 07 Dec 2016 19:50:52 +0000Uber and Teamsters find common ground on one part of bargaining processBill Radke How appropriate that the captain of Nap Tyme was sitting on the pot when a Washington state ferry rammed into the side of his boat. “A convenient place considering how he must have felt at the time of collision,” said Jake Beattie, executive director of the Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend.How a boat named Nap Tyme crashed into a ferryhttp://kuow.org/post/how-boat-named-nap-tyme-crashed-ferry
93772 as http://kuow.orgWed, 07 Dec 2016 00:54:36 +0000How a boat named Nap Tyme crashed into a ferryAllison AubreyTraffic safety officials regularly warn us of the risks of driving while drunk or distracted. But Americans still need to wake up to the dangers of getting behind the wheel when sleepy, according to a recent study of crash rates. A report released Tuesday by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety suggests that drivers who sleep only five or six hours in a 24-hour period are twice as likely to crash as drivers who get seven hours of sleep or more. And the less sleep the person behind the wheel gets, the higher the crash rate, according to the findings. For instance, drivers in the study who got only four or five hours of shut-eye had four times the crash rate — close to what's seen among drunken drivers. "If you have not slept seven or more hours in a given 24-hour period, you really shouldn't be behind the wheel of a car," says Jake Nelson , director of Traffic Safety Advocacy Drivers Beware: Crash Rate Spikes With Every Hour Of Lost Sleephttp://kuow.org/post/drivers-beware-crash-rate-spikes-every-hour-lost-sleep
93707 as http://kuow.orgTue, 06 Dec 2016 05:01:00 +0000Drivers Beware: Crash Rate Spikes With Every Hour Of Lost SleepBill RadkeBill Radke speaks with Vancouver Sun columnist Vaughn Palmer about a major expansion of the Trans Mountain Pipeline. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau approved the expansion Tuesday. It could mean a large increase in the number of oil tankers going through the Strait of Juan de Fuca.More oil tankers could be headed our wayhttp://kuow.org/post/more-oil-tankers-could-be-headed-our-way
93345 as http://kuow.orgThu, 01 Dec 2016 00:17:33 +0000More oil tankers could be headed our wayThe World staffThe city of Copenhagen is known as a place where bicycles rule. But now they really rule. The capital of Denmark reached a milestone last month: More people now ride their bikes downtown than drive. This didn't happen by magic or from public goodwill. The process could actually be a model for other cities to follow, as traffic and population increase. It's good news to many in government. "I was very happy, obviously," says Morten Kabell, the head of transit for the city of Copenhagen. "On the other hand, it confirmed what we already knew. That if you build it, people will use it." In other words, if you build bicycle infrastructure, then people will ride their bikes. Copenhagen has been doing this for the last several decades. “Copenhagen municipality has been carrying out manual traffic counts at a number of city center locations since 1970, when there were 351,133 cars and 100,071 bikes,” reports the Guardian’s Athlyn Cathcart-Keays. “In 2009, the city installed its first Trips by bike finally outnumber those taken by car in Copenhagenhttp://kuow.org/post/trips-bike-finally-outnumber-those-taken-car-copenhagen
93358 as http://kuow.orgWed, 30 Nov 2016 23:13:11 +0000Trips by bike finally outnumber those taken by car in CopenhagenScott DetrowPresident-elect Donald Trump ran an insurgent, anti-establishment campaign, but the latest addition to his prospective Cabinet is about as establishment as it gets. Elaine Chao, whom Trump picked Tuesday to head the Department of Transportation, worked in both Bush administrations, has ties to the conservative Heritage Foundation, has sat on numerous corporate boards and spent several years running the United Way of America. She also happens to be married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. "Secretary Chao's extensive record of strong leadership and her expertise are invaluable assets in our mission to rebuild our infrastructure in a fiscally responsible manner," Trump said in a statement. "She has an amazing life story and has helped countless Americans in her public service career. I am pleased to nominate Elaine as Secretary of the Department of Transportation." Chao is the latest Trump pick who would very likely have shown up in any Republican administration-in-waiting,Trump Picks Washington Insider Elaine Chao For Transportation Secretaryhttp://kuow.org/post/trump-picks-elaine-chao-transportation-secretary
93264 as http://kuow.orgTue, 29 Nov 2016 22:51:00 +0000Trump Picks Washington Insider Elaine Chao For Transportation SecretaryPaige BrowningLight rail planners aren't wasting any time after voters approved the transportation package known as Sound Transit 3. The full project list will take up to 25 years to complete. R esidents in Ballard and Everett will get light rail service in about 20 years. It's a shorter timeline to West Seattle and Tacoma — about 15 years.Seattle-area buses may drive on freeway shoulders http://kuow.org/post/seattle-area-buses-may-drive-freeway-shoulders
93162 as http://kuow.orgMon, 28 Nov 2016 17:33:32 +0000Seattle-area buses may drive on freeway shoulders Posey GruenerBill Radke speaks with Port of Seattle spokesman Brian DeRoy about planned improvements to the walkway between Sound Transit's Airport Station and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Among the improvements to the approximately quarter-mile walk: wind screens, heat lamps and golf carts.The walk from light rail to the airport is about to get a little more comfortablehttp://kuow.org/post/walk-light-rail-airport-about-get-little-more-comfortable
92899 as http://kuow.orgTue, 22 Nov 2016 23:20:02 +0000The walk from light rail to the airport is about to get a little more comfortablePaige BrowningMechanical failure caused the fatal Ride the Ducks Seattle crash in 2015. The National Transportation Safety Board issued that formal ruling Tuesday.Inadequate maintenance led to Ride the Ducks crashhttp://kuow.org/post/inadequate-maintenance-led-ride-ducks-crash
92661 as http://kuow.orgWed, 16 Nov 2016 17:23:44 +0000Inadequate maintenance led to Ride the Ducks crashEmily SchwingA federal civil trial in Seattle against Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway is on hold pending a tentative settlement in a case brought by seven environmental groups that has been in litigation since 2013. Plaintiffs argued coal dust and pieces of coal the company ships from Wyoming’s Powder River Basin across the Northwest have been polluting Washington’s waterways for years in violation of the federal Clean Water Act.Environmental Groups, BNSF To Settle Coal Pollution Casehttp://kuow.org/post/environmental-groups-bnsf-settle-coal-pollution-case
92652 as http://kuow.orgWed, 16 Nov 2016 01:00:24 +0000Environmental Groups, BNSF To Settle Coal Pollution CaseJoshua McNicholsIn Washington state, the presidential election didn’t go the way most voters wanted. But one thing drew faint, complicated cheers in the greater Seattle Area: Sound Transit 3 passed.Light rail expansion offers Seattle progressives bright spot on dark election nighthttp://kuow.org/post/light-rail-expansion-offers-seattle-progressives-bright-spot-dark-election-night
92350 as http://kuow.orgWed, 09 Nov 2016 09:43:30 +0000Light rail expansion offers Seattle progressives bright spot on dark election nightBill Radke Bill Radke speaks with senior editor at The Urbanist, Doug Trumm, about his idea to rip out I-5 from downtown Seattle. In an recent article , Trumm argued that I-5 should be removed from I-90 to 520 and the land used for parks, affordable housing and business development.Could removing I-5 from downtown improve life and traffic in Seattle? http://kuow.org/post/could-removing-i-5-downtown-improve-life-and-traffic-seattle
92271 as http://kuow.orgTue, 08 Nov 2016 21:49:46 +0000Could removing I-5 from downtown improve life and traffic in Seattle? Emily SchwingSeven environmental groups want to prove coal being hauled by rail is polluting Washington’s waterways. If they are successful, the outcome could have huge implications for the way trains are regulated going forward. The case is scheduled to go to trial in Seattle Monday.Outcome Of Water Pollution Trial Against BNSF Could Reach Beyond Lakes, Streamshttp://kuow.org/post/outcome-water-pollution-trial-against-bnsf-could-reach-beyond-lakes-streams
92213 as http://kuow.orgMon, 07 Nov 2016 22:10:00 +0000Outcome Of Water Pollution Trial Against BNSF Could Reach Beyond Lakes, StreamsCourtney FlattNorthwest oil train opponents are celebrating after a county in the Columbia River Gorge rejected a track-expansion request from Union Pacific Railroad. The project was proposed in Mosier, Oregon. Thats where an oil train derailed last summe r, resulting in a fiery explosion and groundwater contamination . Opponents said the project would result in increased oil and coal train traffic through the Columbia Gorge. Wasco County commissioners voted the proposal down on Wednesday, rejecting the local planning commissions approval of the project. Columbia Riverkeeper attorney Lauren Goldberg said county commissioners were swayed by opposition from local people, including members of the Yakama Nation Indian tribe and Friends of the Columbia River Gorge. Wasco Countys decision is just one example where we see local communities that are respecting the very important input of tribal nations as well as community members, Goldberg said. I think well see more of this. She said even before theOil Train Opponents Hail Track Expansion Defeat In Columbia Gorgehttp://kuow.org/post/oil-train-opponents-hail-track-expansion-defeat-columbia-gorge
92021 as http://kuow.orgFri, 04 Nov 2016 20:08:00 +0000Oil Train Opponents Hail Track Expansion Defeat In Columbia GorgeCarolyn AdolphSeattle traffic, as you know, has become monstrous. Delays on regional freeways doubled between 2010 and 2015 , according to the Puget Sound Regional Council. Why have our highways failed us so? A 50-year-old document provides one answer.Why we're stuck in traffic: An answer from November 1966http://kuow.org/post/why-were-stuck-traffic-answer-november-1966
91649 as http://kuow.orgThu, 03 Nov 2016 06:11:46 +0000Why we're stuck in traffic: An answer from November 1966Joshua McNicholsChuck Collins is the guy who ran Metro in the 1970s. He should be the kind of guy who salivates over light rail. But instead, he’s dreaming of more vanpools.The expression a Microsoft Connector driver made when we asked about traffichttp://kuow.org/post/expression-microsoft-connector-driver-made-when-we-asked-about-traffic
91224 as http://kuow.orgTue, 25 Oct 2016 23:09:23 +0000The expression a Microsoft Connector driver made when we asked about trafficJoshua McNicholsA lot of claims are floating around in the public relations struggle over the $54 billion Sound Transit 3 proposal that voters will decide Nov. 8. Who's right? This week, ST3 supporter Shefali Ranganathan of Transportation Choices Coalition and detractor Maggie Fimia of Smarter Transit debated on KUOW's "The Record. "Fact-checking Sound Transit 3 debate: Who's right?http://kuow.org/post/fact-checking-sound-transit-3-debate-whos-right
90706 as http://kuow.orgThu, 20 Oct 2016 16:07:13 +0000Fact-checking Sound Transit 3 debate: Who's right?David SchaperOur cars and trucks are being made with more safety features. New technologies such as lane departure warnings, blind spot detection, vehicle stabilizers and anti-lock brakes can, and do, save lives. Yet more people are dying on the nation's roadways — nearly 18,000 in the first six months of this year. That's a huge jump of 10.4 percent over the same time period in 2015, and it's part of a disturbing trend, according to federal officials, because traffic fatalities rose significantly last year, too. "After decades of progress reducing fatalities, all of a sudden, we're suddenly losing ground," says Mark Rosekind, administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. So the government is teaming up with safety advocates, highway designers and others in a new effort to try to reduce the number of traffic fatalities — to zero — within 30 years. "We have an immediate crisis on our hands and we also have a long-term challenge," Rosekind says. The tragic toll is seen everyHuman Errors Drive Growing Death Toll In Auto Crasheshttp://kuow.org/post/tech-human-errors-drive-growing-death-toll-auto-crashes
90805 as http://kuow.orgThu, 20 Oct 2016 08:28:00 +0000Human Errors Drive Growing Death Toll In Auto CrashesBill Radke Bill Radke sits down with Maggie Fimia of SmarterTransit.org , and Shefali Ranganathan, executive director of the Transportation Choices Coalition , to discuss the proposed $54 billion Sound Transit expansion. The plan is on the ballot this November, with Fimia claiming it's not worth the cost and Ranganathan saying it's a once-in-a-generation opportunity.Is the Sound Transit plan worth $54 billion?http://kuow.org/post/sound-transit-plan-worth-54-billion
90696 as http://kuow.orgTue, 18 Oct 2016 23:09:01 +0000Is the Sound Transit plan worth $54 billion?